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Taking root: Penn State coach James Franklin and his assistants cleaning up on recruiting trail

Penn State coach James Franklin introduces assistant coaches

Penn State assistant head coach Brent Pry, who will also coach the Lions' linebackers, is one of many James Franklin assistants who have ties to Pennsylvania. Pry is a native of Altoona. Joe Hermitt, PennLive

He's a head coach that recognizes everything that's important about recruiting and bringing in good players.'' -- Brent Pry on James Franklin.

Only one of James Franklin's Penn State assistants has a direct tie to the Nittany Lions' program -- former PSU receiver Terry Smith, a Monroeville native. But there is a distinct Pennsylvania feel to the 2014 coaching staff.

Franklin, the Lions' new head coach, grew up in suburban Philadelphia (Langhorne) and played quarterback at East Stroudsburg University.

Defensive coordinator Bob Shoop is a western Pennsylvania guy (Oakmont) who attended Riverview High School.

Assistant head coach Brent Pry was born in Altoona and he was a coach on the East Stroudsburg team that featured Franklin.

Defensive line coach Sean Spencer played safety at Clarion and he's coached previously at Villanova and Shippensburg.

All of these Pennsylvania roots figure to pay dividends along the recruiting trail, now and in the future. Franklin and his assistants know their way around the state.

But expect that number to grow in the coming years, with Franklin and PSU expected to make an all-out push to herd Pennsylvania's elite football talent to State College.

Pry, Penn State's assistant coach and linebackers coach, fully expects Franklin to live up to the boast he made when announced as the Lions' coach on Jan. 11 -- that PSU will dominate the state.

"I'll say this -- I know that Coach, the first word out of his mouth if you ask him that question (how to dominate the state) is going to be 'relationships','' Pry said.

"We've begun that already, really before we got here. Those of us who have ties back to this state, that's going to be important.

"But just our principles in general, that everything's built on relationships, whether it's with the guys on our football team, as a staff, and going to back to these (Pennsylvania) high school coaches, the guys that put the time in, in this state, to develop these young players, those are the relationships that will make a difference.''

"We are going to work and work and work,'' Pry said.

"One of the core values of this program is work ethic and it starts with the man at the top. It's hard to out-work (Franklin), he's a tremendous worker and he's instilled that in all of us.

"And that carries forth into recruiting. He's a head coach that recognizes everything that's important about recruiting and bringing in good players.

"That helps us be good coaches. We're going to devote the time, energy and effort to that part of it.''